McDonald’s® celebrates return of iconic
burger with Kiwi communities

Today McDonald’s New Zealand
celebrated the relaunch of the original KiwiBurger® with
the first of a series of community lunches.

The
lunches, which are about Celebrating Kiwiness, will be
hosted by well-known New Zealanders who helped define what
being a Kiwi was in the year the KiwiBurger was first
launched: 1991.

The first was hosted by All Black legend
Ian Jones who caught up with the rugby squad from his old
High School, Kamo High, today.

Thirty rising stars
enjoyed the chance to tuck into some KiwiBurgers while
listening to the inspiring words of the Kamo Kid. The squad
also received a donation from McDonald’s to go towards
travel costs for out of town games.

On Friday, former
Olympic swimmer, Anna Simcic-Forrest, will be hosting a
lunch at Merivale McDonald’s for Parafed Canterbury – a
facilitator of sports and recreation for people with
disabilities.

“These guys are the toughest Kiwis I
know. It’s great to have the chance to celebrate everyday
New Zealanders who represent the fighting spirit that makes
us so different from the rest of the world,” says Mrs
Simcic-Forrest.

Former Sale of the Century host Jude
Dobson will also be holding a lunch at Otahuhu with members
of Every Child Counts – an organisation dedicated to
helping children have the best start in life – free from
poverty or abuse.

Each organisation will receive a
donation from McDonald’s and its likely more lunches will
roll out over the next month.

McDonald’s NZ Country
Manager Mark Hawthorne says the purpose of the Celebrating
Kiwiness lunches is to acknowledge true Kiwi spirit by
connecting local legends with everyday Kiwis at the grass
root level.

“Kiwiness is as unique to New Zealand as
the KiwiBurger is to McDonald’s New Zealand. It’s in a
country like ours that celebrities will actually spend time
with and inspire our future heroes.”

Mr Hawthorne says
the relaunch of the KiwiBurger has been much anticipated.

“The KiwiBurger was a favourite on the local
McDonald’s menu and customers have been asking us to bring
back the burger for some time. It really is the original
burger with beetroot and egg – a McDonald’s menu item
you can’t buy anywhere else in there world.”

The
KiwiBurger includes a 100% pure beef pattie, Farmer Brown®
egg, Wattie’s® beetroot, tomato, lettuce, Mainland®
cheese, onions, ketchup and mustard in a toasted bun. The
burger will be available nationwide as part of a promotion
from 1 May 2007 and will retail for $6.20, with a medium
combo available for $8.20.

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